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Admission
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Austin, TX 78704
Checked Nov 8, 2026 source how we check
Austin's giant tree of lights on the Zilker Park moonlight tower, free to visit nightly Nov 29, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027. Lighting ceremony Sun, Nov 29, at 6 pm.
The Zilker Holiday Tree is one of Austin's moonlight towers, the 19th-century tower lights the city still keeps, strung with strings of lights to form a giant tree. A long-standing Austin tradition is to stand underneath in the middle and spin around while looking up. The city has lit it every year since 1967, apart from 1973, when the energy crisis kept it dark.
It costs nothing to visit. The tree is lit nightly from Sunday, November 29, 2026 to January 1, 2027, until the park's 10 pm curfew. The lighting ceremony is on November 29: pre-show music by the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble starts at 5:15 pm, and the tree goes on at 6 pm, with local performers and food. Parking on site is free, first come, first served, on lighting night.
The tree stands at the entrance to the Trail of Lights, so from December 10 to 23 it is part of the trail. Before December 10, when the trail is still closed, it is a quick, free outing on its own.
What you'll find
- Free admission
- Free parking
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